Past
by Immortal Spud Thief
Summary: Multi-chaptered fic. Nikki's past comes back to haunt her. Rating will change, and knowing me it will probably turn out Harry/Nikki but not for the moment.
1. Chapter 1

**Ah so...this one was inspired by a Waking the Dead episode from season..I forget now but anyway...rating will probably go up if I write what I think I'm going to write but I will put warnings on later chapters for you as well.**

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Nikki walked into her house after a long, hard day at work and just wanted to relax with a glass of wine in her hand and a good book in the other. First of all however she logged onto her laptop before going upstairs to change her clothes, letting the laptop load while she did so. A few minutes later when she seated herself at the desk, glass of red wine on the table next to her, she opened her e-mail inbox and her hand stopped halfway to her glass when she spotted one of her new e-mails. Her heart jumped painfully in her chest and she slammed the screen of the laptop down violently and the noise reverberated around the quiet room. Breathing heavily, Nikki tried to get her emotions under control but she picked up her wine glass and downed the red liquid in one go. Gingerly, she opened the laptop again and clicked hesitantly to open the e-mail, her heart and stomach sank when she read it.

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"Good morning" Harry called out as he entered the lab the next day, Nikki was already sitting at her desk leaning on one hand and staring blankly at the folder in front of her, her mind still on the e-mail she had received the day before. "Nikki?" Harry's voice broke through her thoughts and she looked up at him and smiled.

"Sorry" she apologised and shook her head "I'm just tired. Good morning"

"Kept up all night were you?" Harry asked suggestively and Nikki just scoffed and gathered all the papers on her desk together as Harry sat himself at his own desk.

"No" she laughed and shook her head.

"Good" came Harry's quiet reply and Nikki looked up at him in confusion to see him gazing at her.

"Why is that good?" Nikki ventured, all thoughts of the e-mail flying from her mind as she and Harry settled into some friendly banter, she couldn't help but curse her heart when it fluttered as Harry gave her one of his cheeky smiles. He opened his mouth to reply when they were cut short by Leo who had walked through the double doors followed, much to Harry's chagrin, by DCI Mumford. Trying not to look too guilty, and failing in Leo's opinion but he didn't question them, Harry and Nikki turned to the older man and Harry greeted him with a 'good morning' and Mumford with a curt nod of the head which was returned. Harry shot Nikki a look that said 'great' and rolled his eyes causing Nikki to giggle loudly as Leo started to talk.

"Okay the body of a Caucasian male was found this morning in the middle of Landgrove park" Leo told them and both younger people paid attention to what he was saying "He was naked apart from the mud which was covering him and it is pretty obvious he has been there for some time, there's evidence of decomposition but not so much that we can't get an I.D" Leo explained and looked from Harry to Nikki "Who wants the scene?"

"Me" both of them said at the same time and laughed as Leo rolled his eyes at them and Mumford stood with his arms crossed looking Nikki up and down with a glint in his eyes. Harry caught this and shot him a glare which told the DCI to 'back off' then looked back at Nikki who had just sighed.

"You have it Harry, I had the last one"

"Why thank you" Harry said as he stood up and bowed slightly to Nikki who giggled loudly and shook her head, both seemed to have forgotten the other two men were there "You are too kind"

"I know" Nikki sighed dramatically as Harry walked past her desk, pulling his coat on "You should try it sometime"

Nikki's smile faded as the three men walked out of the lab and she pulled her mobile out of her pocket and held it in her hand, her thumb hovering over the numbers as she debated on what to do. Sighing, she placed the phone back in her pocket and decided that the e-mail was a one off, she would just ignore it.

Hours later when Harry walked back into the lab Nikki was standing on the other side of the lab staring down one of the microscopes, he took the opportunity to glance over her then smiled as Nikki looked up as if she knew she was being watched. He shot her a grin before walking past her and in the direction of the cutting room.

"You can come and help me if you want" he motioned with a wave in the general direction through the door he held open and Nikki smiled at him and nodded.

"Thank God you asked me" she laughed "I was going mad here"

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Nikki yawned slightly as the lab technicians wheeled a body through, still in the black body bag and Harry turned to her.

"Am I keeping you up?" he asked teasingly and Nikki punched his arm gently and shook her head.

"I told you I didn't sleep well last night"

"You didn't sleep here did you?" Harry asked as he signed the paper one of the lab technicians handed him before the three men walked out of the room to leave Harry and Nikki to do their work. Harry walked over to the bag as Nikki just shook her head in reply to his answer and unzipped the bag. The bottom dropped out of Nikki's stomach as Harry pulled the black bag away and gave Nikki a good look at the slightly decomposed, muddy body on the slab in front of her.

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**Ooh! Hope you like the first chapter of the new multi chaptered fic. XD**

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**One use of the F word in this chapter..just thought I would warn you just in case. :D**

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The man laying on the slab in front of Nikki was about six foot tall with dark brown, almost black, hair that seemed to be moving slightly with the maggots crawling around his face and head. His eyes were open but as Nikki drew close to the body she realised that there wasn't anything in the sockets, his eyes were gone. The rest of the face was covered in bruises, scratches and cuts and was covered in blood, no doubt from where the eyes were removed. This led Nikki to the startling conclusion that the man in front of her was alive when his eyes were removed. Her eyes looked down the rest of his naked body that was caked in mud and turned away when Harry spoke to her.

"Sorry?" she asked, not quite hearing him.

Harry rolled his eyes and motioned to the body in front of them.

"Are you going to help?" he asked and then glanced at the face "You can do a reconstruction if you like. I know how much you love them"

Nikki shook her head and laughed despite her unease at the situation. Something about the body made her uneasy.

"Of course I will" she nodded

"Just don't stay at the lab all night again" Harry warned as Nikki walked away from him to start getting things ready "You know you have a good bed at home"

"Well you wouldn't know that would you Harry?" Nikki called over her shoulder as she logged onto the computer across the cutting room from him.

"Well it's not from lack of trying" she heard Harry reply and she looked up sharply at him to see her best friend staring intently at the body. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks despite herself and cursed inwardly at her reaction, Harry was just joking, she knew he didn't like her like that. Nikki turned back to the screen as she logged on and tried to push all thoughts of Harry and their relationship away from the front of her mind.

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When Nikki walked from the building a few hours later she instantly spotted a man sitting on one of the low walls surrounding the front of the lab. She stopped walking as soon as who it was registered in her mind and she had the thought to turn around and walk back into the lab but knew he wouldn't give up. She started to walk towards him and was a few feet away when he turned and met her brown eyes with his own blue ones. Nikki's heart jumped when she saw him and he smiled at her which she returned tentatively.

"Nikki" he said as he stood up and walked towards her, he opened his arms to her but she stopped abruptly and he got the picture, his arms dropping to his side not looking at all abashed by his actions.

"How did you find out where I worked?" Nikki hissed as she turned and looked back at the lab nervously.

"The great Dr Nikki Alexander is in the papers sometimes" the man said and directed them down the path "Don't you read them?"

"Not about myself no" Nikki snapped "James why are you here?" she sighed and walked next to the tall man who's stride was hard to keep up with "Please tell me"

"I just wanted to see you" James replied without looking at Nikki and she opened her mouth to reply angrily but thought better of it and stopped walking.

"You know what I just don't want this right now"

To anyone walking past it seemed like a couple having an argument but Nikki ignored them and the looks they both got as James wheeled around to look at her.

"Well you do" he shouted "Because it has come crawling back into your nice cosy little life and sooner or later you are going to _have_ to admit what happened"

"Oh fuck off James" Nikki screamed at him "Just crawl back under your stone and leave me the hell alone"

With that she turned around and walked away from the man who was still standing stock still in the middle of the pavement, oblivious to the world around him.

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**Ooh mystery man! XD I may have to have Harry meet him, that should be fun. **

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

Nikki was still in an extremely bad mood when she walked back into the lab a few hours after she had met James, she pushed the double doors open violently and both Harry and Leo looked towards her when they slammed into the wall and flung back again. Noticing the look on her face, they shared a look and Leo nodded towards her as Nikki took her coat off, Harry shrugged and shook his head, indicating to Leo to talk to her but Leo shook his head and motioned for Harry to go to his best friend. Both knew Nikki could be very volatile when she was upset or angry, none of them wanting to be on the receiving end of her anger. Leo gave Harry one last pointed look before walking away from the younger man and into his office leaving Harry no choice.

"Nikki are you alright?" Harry asked as he wheeled his chair over to his friend's desk as she fiddled with some of the papers in front of her.

"Of course I am" she replied, not looking up from the papers as she arranged them on the desk in front of her "I'm going to start on the facial reconstruction"

"No you're not" Harry stated as he placed his hand on Nikki's arm when she went to get up, she gave him a look.

"What do you mean? Yes I am" she yanked her arm away from Harry harder than she intended to but she missed the hurt look that crossed across Harry's face "You wanted me to do it"

"Nikki I know you, once you start it you won't stop until you have finished it" Harry told her and Nikki turned to walk away from him "You will stay here all night working and won't get any proper sleep"

"Why do you care?" Nikki snapped as she spun around

"Nikki" Harry gasped "What..I care because I'm your friend"

"Right" was all the blonde woman said before she turned away and walked in the direction of the cutting room. Harry looked over at Leo's office and shrugged slightly when he saw Leo's questioning look.

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Nikki was exhausted and she wasn't even half way through reconstructing the face of the deceased man, running her hands over her face she then glanced at her watch and sighed when she saw it was half past eleven in the evening. Running one hand through her long blonde hair she pulled it out of the messy bun and let it fall down past her shoulders.

"Are you still here?" came a voice from the doorway and Nikki jumped, not expecting anyone to be in the lab at that time of the night. She relaxed however when she saw it was only Harry, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly as she pulled her jacket on "I thought you went home hours ago"

"Which is what you should have done as well" Harry replied as she walked over to him "You get obsessed"

"I get focussed" Nikki shot back "Different thing, now what are you doing here?"

"I called your house" Harry told her as he held the door open for her to walk through "You didn't answer and I knew you were still here"

Nikki felt a surge of happiness that Harry had thought about her like that and had bothered to drive all the way from his house to see her at this time of the night. Smiling to herself she caught up with Harry as he walked off down the corridor but the smile faded when she thought about another male who she had trusted.

They found themselves in the car park and Harry walked her to her car.

"You didn't have to come here Harry" Nikki told him quietly as she fiddled with her car keys, suddenly conscious of how close Harry was to her.

"You're my friend" came his whispered reply and she looked up at him "I was..am..worried about you"

"You don't have to be Harry I'm fine"

Harry just nodded and leant down, pressing his lips to hers. Nikki reacted almost instantly and allowed him to deepen the kiss and press her back into her car, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran one hand through his hair. She broke away suddenly and shook her head violently as she moved away from him. Harry frowned and shook his head in confusion.

"I can't" Nikki whispered tearfully and looked away as she quickly unlocked her car and opened the door "I'm sorry"

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**How do you all think Harry should react if he meets James?**

**xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

Nikki slammed her house door loudly and started so sob as she leant back against the wall behind her. Sliding down to the floor she brought her knees up to her chest and cried loudly into her hands. She might have just blown the only chance she had of being with Harry and might even have ruined their friendship. She started to cry harder when the day's events caught up with her, the body who to her was vaguely familiar, the e-mail and the one person she never wanted to see again. She had a restless sleep that night, her dreams being punctured by memories that she didn't want resurfacing in her life. The next morning when she crawled out of bed at half past six she had, for the first time in years, the sudden urge to climb back in and refuse to do anything other than cry. Pushing this thought away she wandered downstairs to make herself a strong cup of coffee. While the kettle started to boil Nikki hesitantly logged onto her laptop and her e-mails to find she had another one from the same person as before. Shaking her head she deleted it without even reading it, deciding that ignorance was the best option at this point.

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Nikki was still on edge when she got to the lab earlier than she normally did. She spotted Leo already in his office and smiled, and they called her a workaholic. The door behind her opened and she turned to see Harry walk through, her heart pounded as she remembered what had happened the day before and turned away quickly before Harry caught her staring at him.

"Morning" Harry said cheerfully as he walked over but Nikki heard an underlying something in his voice, something she could work out "How are you?"

"Fine thank you" Nikki nodded and looked up at him, his intense gaze making her blush slightly "I'll get your head done today"

Harry raised an eyebrow and Nikki blushed even more when she realise what she said.

"I mean..you know.." she stuttered as motioned in the general direction of the cutting room "The victim's head...face" she wondered why it was only Harry who could turn her into a stuttering wreck like this, then thought it was her own stupid fault for saying something like that to him.

"Okay thank you" was all Harry said before turning back to his desk and logging on to his computer. Nikki didn't wait for him to say anything else as she turned and strode out of the lab and through to the cutting room. Leo who had watched the scene from his office knew something was wrong with his two younger friends.

'They must think I'm stupid' he thought as he watched both of them turn away from each other and walk away.

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Nikki felt sick, and it took all her restraint not to jump up and run to the toilet to vomit. She had a hard time finishing the facial reconstruction as she had worked on it and now she sat staring at the clay head in front of her she wished she hadn't. Suppressing the sudden urge to just throw the newly finished model onto the floor and stood up and moved away from it as quickly as she could and pulled out her phone to call Harry to tell him she had finished her job. The face seemed to stare at her through the fake blue eyes that sat in the face and Nikki turned away but could still feel the eyes on her back as she spoke to Harry. Turning around again she marched over and spun it around so it was facing the wall and backed away again before walking out of the cutting room to leave Harry to deal with it on his own, she couldn't face being in the same room as him.

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When Nikki walked out of the lab that evening she found she wasn't surprised to find James sitting on the wall again. Marching over to him she grabbed his arm tightly and he just turned his head almost lazily to look at her with a smile on his face.

"Please?" was all he said and Nikki sighed and nodded

"Fine" she snapped "I've just finished work we'll go for a coffee"

"Hey Nikki nice work on the face reconstruction..." Leo stopped talking as he spotted James "Oh I'm sorry"

"No it's fine" Nikki shook her head and gave Leo a smile "Thank you, you should be able to get a positive I.D"

Leo just nodded and looked at James pointedly.

"Oh sorry this is James" Nikki said and introduced them, James held his hand out for Leo to shake and Nikki sighed as he did so, she didn't want them bonding, she didn't even want them to know James existed "James this is Leo Dalton, my boss"

"Although you wouldn't know it" Leo joked and James laughed loudly

"Oh she is still the rule breaker then" James asked and Nikki huffed as Leo nodded and chuckled.

"Oh yes"

"Well we have to be going" Nikki said, wanting to get James away from Leo "I'm sure you don't want to hang around here Leo, I'll see you tomorrow" and with that she grabbed James' arm and dragged him down the path away from Leo "Don't you _dare _do that again" she hissed when they got around the corner and James frowned and shrugged.

"Do what?"

"Talk to my friends and co-workers, as far as they are concerned you don't exist"

"Well that's a nice way to talk" James replied but there was no anger or sadness in his voice, only humour as if he was used to her talking to him like that "What facial reconstruction?"

"I can't give you information about an on-going investigation" Nikki told him as they continued to walk and this time it was James who struggled to keep up with her.

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**Waking the Dead tomorrow!! XD**

**xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

"So you went to medical school" James stated as they both sat in the coffee shop, mugs of the steaming brown liquid between their hands. Nikki nodded and absentmindedly stirred hers.

"Yes, Cambridge" she replied and James let out a breath.

"I knew you would go there, or Oxford, you were the smart one"

Nikki only scoffed at this comment and shook her head before taking a sip of her still scalding coffee.

"What's your work like?" James asked "And your co-workers?"

Nikki resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't going to stop answering questions and he wouldn't have turned up on her doorstep after fifteen years just for fun, she was determined to get to the bottom of why.

"My work is brilliant but can be tiring at times, especially on hard cases" she looked at James who nodded, he knew without asking what those certain cases were "And Harry and Leo are amazing, I kind of gate crashed the lab the first time I met them and Leo asked me to stay after I helped them with a case" Nikki smiled at the memory and James chuckled.

"You always knew how to make an entrance didn't you? And I've met Leo, who's Harry?"

"My age, about your height, short brown hair, dark brown eyes, the best sense of humour I have ever seen, amazing at his job but he can get obsessed, well we all can at times"

"He sounds nice" James commented as he looked Nikki over carefully, she had got a small smile on her face when she spoke of Harry and James was certain he knew why "Is he your lover?"

"No" Nikki sighed and shook her head "Our relationship is..complicated to say the least, and we work together so it wouldn't work between us"

"I'm sure it would if you tried"

"No it wouldn't" Nikki snapped and slammed her mug down on the table "Why are you back James? After fifteen years, why do you come crawling back into my life and digging up memories I had tried so hard to keep buried" her vision had become hazy with tears and she looked down at the table and tried to blink them away not wanting James to see her cry.

"Because of your case" James hissed and leant over the table slightly as if telling Nikki a deep secret "I have to tell you something about it"

"No" Nikki said loudly and shook her head stopping him from carrying on "If you have anything to do with it then I don't want to know, I don't want that on my mind or on my conscious"

"Don't you _know_ who it is?" James asked, quite surprised "I thought Leo said that you reconstructed a face"

Nikki didn't answer this but drained the rest of her coffee and fiddled with the rim of the mug.

"I'm not talking about this" she answered eventually "Please respect that"

"You always were stubborn" James smiled as if reminiscing "Even when we were..."

"Shut up" Nikki hissed and looked around nervously but no one was bothering with their conversation, to busy with their own lives "Just shut up"

With that she stood up and walked quickly out of the coffee shop and down the road getting swallowed up by the crowd outside before James could react.

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"Nikki's friend seems nice" Leo commented as he and Harry stood before Nikki's reconstruction in the cutting room.

"Friend?" Harry asked absentmindedly as he uploaded pictures of the reconstruction onto the computer.

"James" Leo replied and Harry whipped his head around to look at the older man "She hasn't mentioned him to you?"

"No" Harry said forcibly and turned back to the screen "She hasn't mentioned _any_ new man to me" he added bitterly and Leo rolled his eyes behind his younger friend's back "She told you?"

"Well I bumped into them" Leo explained as he crossed his arms over his chest and leant against the desk next to Harry "Nikki seemed a bit upset that we had met to be honest, she couldn't get him out of there fast enough"

"Probably taking him home" Harry muttered darkly and Leo gave him a warning look.

"Harry" he chided "It just didn't seem right"

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**So looking forward to Waking the Dead tonight! It's an Eve centric so it should be good, I do love Eve. XD**

**xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

"So" Harry started as he wheeled his chair over to Nikki's desk the next day and leant his elbows on the desk next to Nikki's mug of coffee. Nikki glanced away from her laptop and looked at her best friend, they still hadn't talked about the kiss they shared or talked much at all in the past few days.

"So..." she prompted

"Who's the fancy man?" Harry asked suddenly and Nikki knew Leo had mentioned something, she saw a hurt look in Harry's eyes "Is he the reason you didn't...." he left the question hanging.

"No" Nikki shook her head and glanced in the direction of Leo's office but he had the door shut and was on the phone "No that had nothing to do with it"

"Then why?" Harry asked quietly

"Because I value our friendship above everything Harry and I don't want to do anything to compromise that" Nikki replied "Please I need you as a friend, I cant..."

"Please tell me what's wrong Nikki" Harry pleaded and covered one of her hands with his own, both of them trying to ignore the spark that seemed to rush through them when their skin connected "You've been different lately, like there's something wrong"

"I can't" Nikki shook her head and almost swore when her eyes filled with tears and her voice broke "I can't tell you Harry I'm sorry"

"Nikki you're scaring me" Harry told her when he saw her tear filled eyes when she tried to turn away from him so he couldn't see "Has anyone hurt you?"

Nikki opened her mouth to reply when Leo walked out of his office and she yanked her hand from under Harry's and turned away from both men to discreetly wipe her eyes. Harry sighed loudly and couldn't help but shoot Leo an exasperated look at Leo who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"Have we identified the body yet?" Harry asked Leo, wanting to change the subject to make Nikki feel better, he hated the fact he had made her upset even though he didn't know how or why.

"There's been a call" Leo replied and gave Nikki another concerned look which she ignored before turning back to Harry "He's been identified as Raymond Greggory"

They both noticed Nikki's sudden movement at the name but didn't say anything.

"He was identified by his brother Boris Greggory, he's on his way in"

Nikki's head shot up at this and a look of shock and fear flew across her face before she steeled herself and plastered a fake smile on her face. She was saved from saying anything when her phone rang and she quickly excused herself from the two men and walked away from them as she answered the phone. Harry and Leo made sure she had walked out of the lab before they started to talk.

"There is something very wrong with her Leo" Harry explained as they both ventured into the other man's office "Ever since this _James _turned up, she's been distant and emotional and she won't tell me what's wrong with her and _that_ is what scares me" Harry tried to control his emotions by the end of it but Leo could see the fear and confusion in his eyes before the younger man turned away and stared out of the window down at the street below.

"Do you think he's hurting her?" Leo asked slowly and Harry shrugged

"We can't go throwing accusations like that around" Harry replied "and I don't see any other signs of abuse on her"

"We'll keep an eye on her" Leo told Harry who made a noise of confirmation "and it seemed like she knew the name Raymond Greggory, her reaction was..unexpected"

Harry didn't say anything but stared darkly out of the window.

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"James please tell me you had nothing to do with those _men_" Nikki whispered to her friend as soon as she spotted him sitting on the park bench where they had agreed to meet "_Please_ tell me you didn't kill him"

James just stared at Nikki who groaned and put her hands over her face turning away from the man as she did so. Taking a deep breath she ran her hands down her face and let the tears fall, James reached out to place his hands on her shoulders but she moved away violently and laughed darkly at him as she shook her head.

"Don't you _dare _touch me" she hissed and James' face fell as he turned away and sat down heavily on the bench turning his back on Nikki.

"I couldn't let him keep walking around, a free man without a care in the world" James told her quietly as he stared across the park at the pond on the other side "That's why I sent you the e-mail, I wanted to meet up, I'm sorry if I scared you"

"_Scared_ me?" Nikki scoffed and shook her head "I can't believe this, you didn't scare me James, you could never do that to me and you know it but it was the memories you dragged up by coming back"

"Are you in contact with anyone else?" James asked suddenly "From back then"

"No" Nikki replied as she sat on the other end of the bench from James "Once I left I left, no looking back"

"What did Harry and Leo say about it?"

James got no answer so he turned to the woman behind him and saw her staring blankly across the park.

"You didn't tell them did you?"

Nikki just shook her head.

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**Muahaha! I'm so evil leaving it on another cliffhanger..don't worry things will be explained soon. :D**

**xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

"What have you told them?" James asked Nikki after a few minutes of silence

"Not much" Nikki shrugged "They know mum died when I was younger but I told them that I moved over here to live with my father"

"They haven't questioned that?"

"Why would they?" Nikki enquired and turned to look at James "They think I am telling the truth, they don't know any different. I was going to tell them" Nikki replied and her voice broke again "But I just kept putting it off and I've been lying to them for _five _years James, they aren't going to forgive me if I tell them now"

"If they are as good friends as you make them out to be then they will understand why you didn't tell them"

"I can't" Nikki choked and James moved across the bench and went to place one arm around her but she jumped up and started to back away "I want you to leave me alone, just go away and not come back because you have just dug me into a hole I am going to have to try very hard to get out of"

With that she turned and walked defiantly away from James who just sat on the bench watching her retreating back until she had walked out of the park. He sat there for the next few hours thinking things over.

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"Raymond Greggory's bother has told us that his brother owned a children's home a few years ago, called 'The Charles William Home' but it was closed down because funding ran out" Leo updated Nikki the next day. She just nodded and let Leo continue "We're trying to track down any of the children who were in the home at the time Mr Greggory was the owner but we aren't having much luck"

'I wonder why' Nikki thought sarcastically but only nodded again to show Leo she was listening. Leo's office phone rang suddenly and the older man turned and walked into his office, leaving Harry and Nikki alone. There was an un-natural silence between them as they both refused to look at the other. Nikki realised that this was all James' fault, if he hadn't returned, sent her those e-mails, none of this would be happening.

"Nikki are you even listening to me?" Harry's voice cut through her thoughts and she turned her head to look at him "Why do I bother?" he joked and Nikki managed a small smile.

"Sorry?"

"Leo and I are going out for drinks tonight, are you coming?" Harry asked her again and she could see the small glimmer of hope in his eyes. She nodded and Harry's smile grew "Good, we're getting a taxi so we can all drink" he paused "James can come as well"

"No" Nikki replied quickly "Whatever you think is going on between me and James you have it wrong Harry, I've told you that before"

"Then why didn't you tell us about him?"

"I don't have to tell you about every single one of my..friends do I?" she had a hard word using the word friend to describe James but it was the only polite word she could think of.

"Well it would be nice to know which man you are shagging this week" Harry shot back and Nikki's eyes narrowed.

"How _dare_ you" she hissed "You have no idea about my relationship with James and I'll be damned if I am telling you"

"I just don't want him hurting you" Harry told her loudly and Leo looked out from the window of his office and frowned at them.

"You know the only man hurting me at the moment is _you_" Nikki shouted at him and Harry seemed to shrink back into his chair when he heard this "He is, was, a friend, nothing more than that. He used to help me and protect me from... " she stopped abruptly and Harry frowned slightly "He was a friend" she finished weakly and blinked away the tears that were forming "Why can't you understand that?"

Harry didn't say anything, just stared at Nikki before turning away and looking at his computer signalling that their conversation was over.

* * *

**As I was asked nicely to upload two chapters..I obliged. XD**

**xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

That evening Nikki sat on her sofa with a glass of red wine in one hand, the half empty bottle on the coffee table in front of her. The house was in silence which was un-usual as she normally put the radio on as soon as she walked in the door, today was different. She hated the fact that she had lied to Harry and Leo from the moment she met them and she knew they would hate her for doing so but the guilt was eating her up. Downing the contents of her wine glass she then poured herself another one, she was glad the next day was her day off, she had two bottles of wine and was intending to finish them both. Her doorbell rang out suddenly and she looked around in surprise, wondering who would be calling to see her at nearly eleven in the evening. She placed the wine back on the table and walked to the front door opening it to find Harry standing on her doorstep.

"Harry" she said, surprised to see him at this time of the night especially after their conversation a few hours beforehand.

"Can I come in?" Harry asked quietly and Nikki couldn't help but oblige him and allowed him into the house. She then followed him through to her living room where he was looking around nervously, something unusual for him "Nikki I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I shouldn't have said it"

Nikki just nodded, not willing to forgive him just yet.

"I am just worried about you" Harry continued as he stepped closer to her "I'm your best friend aren't I?"

Nikki nodded again and sighed before Harry started to talk again.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you I really am and I realise that you're allowed your own secrets and your own life but..." he stopped and shrugged.

"Harry" Nikki whispered and looked him in the eye "When I say that I'm not sleeping with someone it means that I am _not _sleeping with them"

With that she leant up and kissed him on the lips much to her own surprise as well as Harry's. She then broke away and gave him a shy smile.

"I'm sorry I've been a bitch lately"

Harry didn't say anything but leant down and kissed her again.

-----------------

"Dr Cunningham have you seen Professor Dalton?" Bob Mumford asked the next day as he walked through to Leo's office and poked his head around the door, he saw the older man wasn't in there and turned to Harry with an expectant look.

"He's probably getting drinks" Harry replied simply "He'll be back in a minute"

"Oh don't worry you'll do" Mumford shook his head and Harry raised an eyebrow and what Mumford obviously thought was a compliment "We've had a woman from the children's home come round, she says she has some information about the case"

"Really?" Harry asked dryly and Mays nodded "I'll tell Leo and we will be down soon"

Mumford didn't say anything but turned and walked out of the lab leaving Harry glaring after him.

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"So who is she?" Leo asked Harry as they both stood behind the two way mirror looking into the interrogation room where a black haired woman who looked in her early thirties sat at the table opposite Mumford. She looked strangely relaxed for someone in her situation.

"Maria Sinclair" Harry replied, not looking away from her "She used to go to the children's home until she left when she was sixteen"

"So what can you tell me about Raymond Greggory?" Mumford asked and the woman seemed to flinch slightly at the name as if it hurt her to hear it.

"Well let's just say...he is..was, sorry, a bastard" Maria said simply and Harry and Leo shared a glance "The only woman to work at the home, you know to take care of us girls, left a few weeks before my fifteenth birthday and he just didn't bother to get another woman in"

"In what way was he a...bastard?" Mumford asked and Maria shrugged and started to ring her hands on the desk, a sign both pathologists knew related to nervousness.

"It was both him and his brother" Maria said, not answering the officer's question "They ran the place together"

Mumford decided to change his tactic, even he knew when he wouldn't be getting an answer. He opened a manila folder on the desk and pushed an autopsy picture of Raymond Greggory towards Maria who glanced down at it and paled. She reached forward with a shaky hand and pulled it closer.

"Do you know anyone who would want to do that?" Mumford asked but Maria didn't reply straight away but shook her head after a few seconds and pushed the picture back at him.

"I shouldn't have come in" she muttered almost to herself and Mumford glanced up at the mirror and shook his head discreetly at Harry and Leo, they all knew they wouldn't get anything else out of Maria Sinclair for a while.

-------

"I'm still confused about the eyes" Leo muttered as he and Harry stood in the layout room staring at the rest of the autopsy pictures on the interactive screens in front of them "It's very personal isn't it? Gauging out the eyes, but we've already cleared the brother and there's no other family that we know of"

"One of the children in the home maybe?" Harry suggested from where he was sitting on one of the stools behind the table absentmindedly tapping his pen against it, his mind still focussed mainly on what was wrong with Nikki, they hadn't even spoken about their night together yet.

"Maria Sinclair seemed to be hiding something" Leo muttered as he leant his back on the table and crossed his arms over his desk. "You know his face seems vaguely familiar" Leo added said suddenly "If you block out the blood and the fact that he has no eyes there's something familiar, I just can't place it"

"Like what?"

"I don't know" Leo shrugged "Like I've seen him before or something"

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"Good day off?" Harry asked Nikki as she wandered into the lab the next day, she looked up and smiled at him slightly before nodding. Harry glanced over at Leo's office and saw their older friend wasn't in there so he stood up and pressed a quick kiss onto Nikki's lips making her heart jump.

"I missed you yesterday" Harry told her as he kissed her again and Nikki hated herself for allowing herself to fall for the man in front of her, it wasn't fair on him but after their one night together she found herself wanting him more.

"So did I" Nikki replied as Harry moved away from her and back to his desk

"Someone from the home has come forward" Harry explained as Nikki prompted him to tell her about what had happened on her day off "From the children's home but all we got out of her was that Raymond Greggory was a bastard, she stopped talking after that. I think it was the shock of Mumford showing her the autopsy photo"

"Why did he do that?" Nikki asked quietly as she sat down at her desk and Harry shrugged

"Because he is a stupid idiot" he sighed and Nikki giggled despite herself "You haven't seen Raymond Greggory before have you?"

"_What_?" Nikki snapped quickly "No, why?"

Harry frowned at her reaction but said nothing about it as he stood up and walked over to her.

"Leo said he just seems familiar to him that's all and I was wondering if you had seen him anywhere" he mumbled quietly and Nikki had to turn away from his penetrating stare to look at her computer to stop herself from breaking down and admitting everything to him right there in the middle of the lab. Taking a deep breath, she heard Harry walk away and only when she heard the noise of the lab doors clicking shut did she allow herself to breathe again.

Harry met Leo as both men walked down the stairs to the main foyer of the lab and the older man spotted James standing waiting at the reception and pointed him out to Harry.

"That's James" he whispered and saw Harry look the other male up and down as if sizing up the competition, Leo knew he was but stopped in his tracks when James looked around and smiled at them. Harry frowned at Leo as he looked back and turned as James walked over and held his hand out to Leo.

"Professor Dalton" he nodded and turned to Harry and held his hand out to him as well, Harry shook it stiffly "You must be Harry Cunningham, Nikki's talked all about you"

"Really?" Harry asked, quite surprised at this.

"Yes she always talks about you two, especially you Dr Cunningham and by the way it's not what it looks like I assure you, Nikki and I are only friends, even when we were teenagers nothing ever happened between us"

"You knew each other when you were teenagers?" Leo asked and James turned to him and nodded.

"I met Nikki in the..." he stopped abruptly "Anyway I was just leaving a note for Nikki, it was nice to meet you"

He then turned around and walked down the rest of the steps and out into the street outside the lab. Leo turned to Harry who had an unreadable look on his face.

"Does he remind you of..." Harry started and Leo nodded and glanced towards the doors again.

--------

"We saw your friend James today" Leo told Nikki later on as he walked through the lab on his way to his office "Harry seems to like him"

Nikki glanced over at Harry who just stared at Leo, the older man looking quite smug with himself, he however still didn't know about his two younger co-workers, even they themselves didn't know what they were.

"He cleared a few things up as well" Leo added and Nikki frowned as she looked from Harry to Leo.

"Like what?" she asked suspiciously

"I'm sure Harry can tell you" he paused at his doorway then looked back at his young female co-worker who had been increasingly different ever since the case started and her friend turned up. He frowned as he knitted things together in his head "Nikki what's James' surname? You've never told us"

Nikki turned away from him for a second and Harry looked up from his laptop to look to Nikki for the answer. She looked down at her desk and fiddle with a sheet of paper as she answered, finding herself unable to lie even more to her two friends.

"Greggory"

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**Oh dear I think Nikki has been keeping things from Harry and Leo XD**

**xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

"Greggory?" Leo asked, thoroughly confused as to why Nikki had kept that information from them for so long "Any relation to our deceased?"

Nikki just shrugged but both men could tell she was lying.

"Nikki" Leo chided "Please tell us, if it will help with the investigation..."

"It won't" Nikki snapped "Whatever relationship they had in the past it's over now"

"So they are related" Harry stated and Nikki glared at him.

"Can't you just drop it? I shouldn't have said anything anyway"

"No we can't drop it Nikki" Leo told her calmly "Not when you just told us that your friend, who so conveniently turns up just when our deceased does, has the same name as him. .related?" he asked slowly

"He's James' dad" Nikki shouted as she stood up and walked swiftly out of the main lab and into the corridor outside. Harry let out a slow breath and looked at an equally shocked Leo who just shrugged at the younger man and shook his head.

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"You're upset" a voice behind Nikki made her jump and she spun around to see James standing behind her. She was sitting on the same bench in the same park that just a few days ago James had made the confession to her that he had killed his own father. "Don't bother denying it I can always tell and you know that" he added softly as he sat down on the opposite end of the bench to her "I bumped into Leo and Harry today"

"I know" Nikki stated simply as she stared across at the lake in front of them

"Harry seems like a nice man, you should give it a go"

"You didn't come here to talk about my relationship status James" Nikki diverted him away from the subject of her and Harry, she didn't need him to know they had slept together "Why haven't you gone yet?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright first"

"Well I am now you can bugger off again" Nikki replied quickly and bitterly then paused "Why his eyes?"

"That's what you all hated the most about him, especially you Nikki. You know how I said I would always protect you, but I failed back when we were teenagers so I am doing it now"

"I don't need protecting" Nikki whispered "It was all fine until you dug it all up"

"Speaking of being dug up I've left a note with your receptionist, I told Harry and Leo it was for you but I lied. You better get your story straight before they read it"

"What do you mean?" Nikki asked almost hysterically but James stood up and walked away from Nikki, leaving her alone on the park bench trying to work out what he meant.

------

"This note was delivered to the lab a few hours ago" Mumford explained as he pointed to the interactive screen in front of the two male pathologists, Nikki still not being back from her lunch break which should have been over an hour beforehand "I've already had the techs print it and whatever other crap you people do but there's nothing"

Leo and Harry looked quite put out that their work was described as 'crap' but let it go, they knew how Mumford worked anyway.

"Number 21 Wiltshire Avenue" Harry read off the note, which was just on normal lined A4 paper "There is something in the back garden to be of interest to you"

"I've already checked it out" Mumford continued, "It's the un-used site of 'The Charles William Home'"

"Call Nikki" Leo told Harry who nodded and pulled out his phone "Give her the address and tell her to meet us there"

Nikki jumped when her phone rang, clutching the steering wheel harder she glanced over and saw it was Harry who was calling. Deciding that he would understand that she was driving she ignored it and continued on her way home. Pulling into her driveway ten minutes later she reached over and re-dialled Harry's number.

"_Nikki where are you?"_ Harry asked instantly _"We have another lead"_

"I wasn't feeling well" it wasn't a lie really, she had been feeling sick since her encounter in the park "Where do you want me?"

"_21 Wiltshire Avenue" _Harry replied, ignoring what would have been a good opportunity to joke with Nikki and Nikki swore her heart stopped beating for a few seconds when she heard that name. Then she heard Leo say something she couldn't understand _"Leo said if you are feeling ill don't bother coming but if his assumptions are correct then we may need you for your expertise"_

"Right, okay" Nikki replied and ran her free hand through her hair "Just...just call me if you need me" then she hung up the phone not allowing Harry to continue talking.

Harry frowned at his phone when all he heard was the dial tone but only shook his head and put it back in his pocket as he turned around to survey the scene behind him. Officers were scouring the back garden for any sign of what the note was about but he and Leo already had a fair idea.

"Over there" Leo told him as the older man pointed to a clump of what looked like weeds but as Harry focussed on them it became clear what they were "We start there" Leo called this out to Mumford who nodded and looked in the general direction of where Leo was pointing.

"Why?" he called back.

"Those plants" Leo told him, he didn't bother naming them, he knew Mumford wouldn't be interested "They grow particularly well where there are bodies buried"

"Sounds good to me" Mumford shrugged before turning and walking back through the wooden back door that was hanging off by its hinges. Harry glanced up at the towering three storey house behind them and found it remind him of a house in the old horror films he used to watch as a child.

-------

"I hate being right all the time" Leo muttered to Harry as they both looked down into the quite deep hole that held a skull and a few ribs, they had no doubt that the whole body was in there.

"You're not anymore Leo" Harry reminded him and gave him a grin "Not since that DUI"

Leo groaned, he should have known it was too good to be true that neither Harry nor Nikki had mentioned it in the past few weeks. He had realised that one small mistake would haunt him for the rest of his life and Harry and Nikki would make sure it did.

"Sir there's something else here" the young male who was clad head to toe in white forensics clothes told them and he brushed away more soil, mud and dirt to expose what he was talking about "It looks like a book"

"Be careful with it" Harry warned as the young man picked up the A5 size notebook and slipped it into a clear forensics bag.

"We'll need Nikki" Leo muttered to Harry as he motioned to the body "And we need to work out what the _hell_ is going on with her"

* * *

**Have any of you seen Dorian Gray? Emelia Fox is in it and I shouted 'Oh my god it's Nikki' in the crowded cinema..yeah that didn't go down well but what topped it off for me was that she was maried to a man called Harry! XD **

**xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

"Found out what it is yet?" Leo asked Harry as the younger man bent over the table looking at the notebook which was found with the deceased in the garden.

"It looks like a list of names" Harry said slowly as he read one page "And ages by the looks of things" he turned the page delicately and tried to read some of the warn away writing "By the looks of this writing you would think it was a doctor who wrote it" he joked and Leo chuckled.

"Doesn't say much for our handwriting then does it?"

Harry laughed and they both looked over as the lab doors opened and they smiled at Nikki as she walked in.

"I've had the skull sent over for you" Leo told her and they didn't miss Nikki's terror stricken look as she glanced at the book in front of Harry "The rest of the skeleton should be here soon"

"Thanks" was all Nikki said before she turned and walked through to the cutting room as quickly as she could.

Nikki already knew who the skull in front of her belonged to, she just sat staring blankly at it and it stared right back at her. The skeletal mouth set in a hideous grin, the same as it had been when there was flesh and blood on it. Nikki let out a dry sob and covered her hand with her mouth to try and stop any more noise escaping. She reached up with her other shaking hand and turned the skull away from her so it faced the wall, it was only then that she got the full image of the large fracture running along the back of the object in front of her.

"God James" she whispered and closed her eyes against the tears.

--------

"Leo" Harry called out loudly and urgently as he continued to read the book in front of him "You really need to see this"

Leo made his way out of his office and stood next to Harry as the younger man pointed to a name on the list.

"What..I don't...Nikki?" Leo was un-naturally lost for words as Harry nodded grimly "That's not possible, she came over here to live with her father after her mother died"

"Maybe she did for a while" Harry suggested in a low voice and glanced behind him at the entrance to the cutting room to make sure Nikki wasn't there "You know how he comes back into her life and then dumps her like she means nothing to him, maybe he did that. At the time this was written she was fifteen"

"Which explains how Nikki knows James Greggory" Leo continued "She was in the children's home while his father owned it" he motioned to the book "What else is in it?"

"It's a medical journal" Harry explained and turned to the back cover where there was a faint image of a name "a Dr John Goldman from what I can read, most of the writing is faded but I'm sure I can decipher some of it"

"We need to talk to Maria Sinclair again" Leo told Harry who nodded, a distant look on his face "We'll let Nikki work before we talk to her about this"

Harry didn't reply so Leo walked back into his office to make the phone call to Bob Mumford to get him to bring Maria Sinclair in for a chat. Harry sighed and entwined his hands together and leant his elbows on the desk in front of him ignoring the journal in front of him as he wondered why Nikki had lied to him and Leo about her childhood.

"He's on his way to pick her up" Leo said as he walked out of his office to see Harry staring into space "I'm sure she had her reasons Harry" he seemed to know what Harry was thinking "She's entitled to her own secrets"

Harry didn't say anything so Leo turned and walked back into his office leaving Harry to brood on his own.

-----

Nikki wasn't getting anywhere with the facial reconstruction, she refused to turn the skull around from where it was gazing at the wall in front of her and she had moved from her seat to lean on the wall behind her and stare at the crack on the back of the cream coloured bone. This had been going on for the past half an hour. Walking over to the skull, she ran her hand over the fracture at the back and a small smile crossed her face before she wiped it off in disgust.

* * *

**I might upload another chapter tonight...then again I may not because the laptop is about to be taken over by my mum soon XD**

**xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning: Mentions of child abuse..nothing to major though.**

* * *

"Thank you for coming in again Miss Sinclair" Bob Mumford said to the nervous looking woman. Instead of using an interview room they were using Leo's office, it was much less stressful for them. Maria just nodded and glanced nervously at the book which was sitting on Leo's desk. "Why didn't you tell us that Raymond Greggory had a son?"

"James?" Maria asked, confused for a second "What has he got to do with any of this?"

"He doesn't" Mumford told her "But we have reason to believe that two people, one of which we are not certain yet, who were at the children's home knew James Greggory and didn't tell us about him"

"He wasn't like the other two" Maria told them "Raymond and Boris I mean, he was different"

"How?" Leo asked from where he was seated at the desk and Maria started to pick at the fabric of the chair she was sitting on.

"Okay who was Dr John Goldman?" Mumford asked and Maria's head shot up to look at him, fear flashing across her eyes and face as she heard the name spoken "We found this" he pointed to the notebook "In what seems to be his grave"

"He's dead?" Maria asked, her confusion genuine "When? How?"

"We're working on that" Leo told her "Who was he?"

"He was the home's private doctor" she replied quietly "Well he was the Greggory's private doctor they just made him deal with us when..." she stopped abruptly and shook her head "He went missing a few weeks before I moved out of there, Raymond Greggory said that he had got a new job, we had no reason to not believe him"

"So this book is what?" Mumford asked, getting impatient "It has a list of the names of what we believe were residents of the children's home you were in"

"It was his journal" Maria whispered and closed her eyes tightly "Goldman's, he used to write in there what was wrong with each of his patients, we never worked out why"

"We need to find his files from when he was a doctor" Mumford directed this at Leo and Maria scoffed and opened her eyes.

"You won't find anything" she told them "He used to see us illegally, no paperwork was done about any of his visits to us apart from what he wrote in that book"

Mumford and Leo exchanged a worried glance before turning back to the quiet woman in front of them.

"Do you keep in contact with any of the children in the home?"

"No" Maria shook her head "Although Nikki Alexander, she's in the papers sometimes so I read about her, she's a pathologist now I think"

She didn't see Mumford and Leo look at each other in shock at this revelation.

-----

Harry felt sick as he read through the notes in the journal in front of him, there were multiple entries that were illegal, drugs that should never be prescribed to children were being given to them and Harry had already read of two illegal abortions performed and he wasn't even half way through yet. He sighed as she sat back against his chair and glanced over at the cutting room doors, he hoped that the Nikki written in the book wasn't his Nikki but he didn't keep his hopes up.

-------

Nikki tried to finish the reconstruction as quickly as she could but she found her hands faltered and shook every time she went near the object in front of her. She couldn't believe that her old live, the one she had tried so desperately hard to keep hidden, had reared its ugly head. She became aware that she was just putting the finishing touches to the head and found she had gone into autopilot when she was doing her work. She shook herself back to reality, took one look at the face staring at her from the desk in front of her and rushed to the nearest sink to vomit violently.

"Nikki?" came a quiet voice behind her and she looked up to see Harry and Leo standing in the doorway of the cutting room with worried looks on their faces. Harry walked quickly over to her and placed one hand on her back but Nikki moved away from him quickly and shook her head as the tears she had tried to stifle ran down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" she sobbed and broke down into sobs as she allowed Harry to gently wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him. Nikki reached up and gripped the front of his shirt like her life depended on it and sobbed into his chest. Harry ran one hand through her hair and the other rubbed soothing motions on her back trying to calm her down.

"It's alright" he whispered into her hair as he rested his cheek on the top of her head "Everything is going to be alright I promise"

Leo meanwhile was staring at Nikki's reconstruction of Dr John Goldman's face and wondering how a doctor, who had sworn to help people, had become so corrupt as to perform illegal actions on children.

"I..I need..to..tell you..both" Nikki choked as she tried to get her breathing under control "But..you'll..hate...me"

Leo turned to look at her when she said this and his heart went out to her as she saw her tear stained cheeks and the look of fear in her eyes when she said this.

"We'll never hate you Nikki" Harry told her, his arms still around her as she nodded.

"Yes you..will..because..I've lied...to you" Nikki sobbed and took a deep breath to stop herself breaking down again.

"Maybe we should go into my office" Leo suggested "It's more comfortable than this cold lab"

Start from the beginning" Leo told Nikki as he pulled his chair round from behind his desk so he was sitting in front of Harry and Nikki who were sitting on his sofa. Harry with his arms tightly around Nikki who, if she got any closer, would be sitting on her best friend's lap, a box of tissues beside her.

"I lied to you about coming to live over here with my father" Nikki told them calmly, staring at the pattern on Leo's carpet "After mum died I came here to live with him for a while then like always he left me because he is a waste of space who wouldn't know responsibility if it slapped him in the face. So he left me at the children's home, I was thirteen" she stopped to let her two friends absorb the information before she continued "I had a hard time coping so I ran away, that's when Noel found me, I didn't run away from school like I told you, I ran from the home but he found me and saved me from that man" Harry nodded, knowing what she was talking about but Leo just frowned and let Nikki continue "When he took me back to the home..." she stopped and took a shuddering breath, trying not to break down again "they said they were relieved that they had found me and Noel left me there without any suspicion. Raymond Greggory..." Nikki stopped at this point and her eyes filled with tears and they fell down her face "He used to carry a cane with him all the time, he told people that he had a dodgy hip and no-one questioned him but he used it to..that's what..he..used..to hit..us with" Nikki sobbed and both men tensed when they heard this "That..was..one of..the..worst ones..he ever..gave me"

"He beat you after that?" Leo asked disgusted, Harry sat motionless as he stared down at his lover who nodded.

"I don't understand" Harry whispered and Nikki looked up at him, she knew what he was asking about so reached up to undo her blouse buttons. Leo looked uncomfortable for a moment but this faded when Nikki took of the piece of clothing and turned her back to them slightly. Both men couldn't help the gasp that escaped their lips when they saw the crisscrossing cane marks marring her back, they had faded over the years and could be missed if someone didn't know what they were looking for but to Harry and Leo they were on Nikki's skin as clear as day.

"I..how did I miss them?" Harry asked weakly, hating himself for not seeing them when they had slept together "I should have..."

"Because I didn't want you to see them" Nikki explained "I've become an expert at hiding them from everyone"

"God Nikki" Harry found his own eyes fill with tears at what Nikki went through but she smiled at him and leant up to kiss him on the lips.

"It's alright Harry" she whispered and Harry just nodded even though he didn't believe her "He used to do it to most of the children in the home. Us older ones would try and stop it happening to the younger ones, we took the beatings meant for them so they wouldn't have to endure them" she paused "Among other things"

Harry turned his head and buried his face in Nikki's hair as he took a deep breath, Leo too was fuming and it took all his control not to do something he would regret later on. Nikki however remained eerily calm as she continued but moved closer to Harry slightly as she did so.

"I met James when I had been there a week, after my first beating he came to see me, he didn't tell me who he was at first and I thought he was just another one of the children there, he had just turned fifteen. We became friends and it was only then that he told me he was Raymond Greggory's son" she stopped talking and this urged Harry and Leo to talk.

"What did you do?" Leo asked quietly and Nikki shrugged and fiddled with the hem of her blouse.

"I trusted him because he helped me but I also distrusted him because he was the son of that...monster" she spat the last word out and shook her head "I didn't know what to do but I came around to the fact that he was my friend above everything. But then his father packed him off to some private boarding school. James didn't want to go, he hated school and everything in it, he said himself that he wasn't suited for school and it wasn't suited for him but he had to do what his father said, he was underage of course so he had to leave"

Harry suddenly hated himself for the automatic assumption that Nikki had slept with James and his automatic hatred towards the man whereas he had only helped and protected Nikki. He found himself burying his hatred for the man and vowed to thank him the next time they saw him.

* * *

**As I was asked nicely! XD**

**xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

Nikki had been silent for a few minutes in which Leo had decided to give his young co-workers some time alone and went to get them all drinks. Harry clutched Nikki close to him and lay his cheek on the top of her head. She sighed and moved her head slightly so it was laying on his chest and bit her lip to stop herself crying again.

"Are you angry with me?" Nikki asked quietly and Harry looked down at her and frowned

"Why would I be angry at you Nikki?" he enquired softly and gently ran one hand over her hair

"Because I lied to you and didn't tell you the truth" Nikki whispered and wiped her cheeks free of the tears that had fallen down her face. Harry moved her so he was looking directly into her eyes, she tried to move her head away but he gripped her chin gently in his hand and turned her head so she was looking at him. Her eyes were glazed over with tears but she didn't let them fall as Harry spoke.

"Nikki I do not hate you" Harry told her forcibly his own eyes suddenly cloudy as he looked at the broken woman in front of him, the one he loved above anything else "I could never hate you okay"

Nikki let out a loud sob as she nodded and let the tears slip down her face, Harry did the same but kept talking through them.

"I love you" he whispered and Nikki shook her head

"You can't Harry" she choked out "You can't because I haven't told you everything"

"I don't care Nikki, I love you" Harry cried, he hadn't cried this much in years, "So so much and nothing you can say will change that"

Nikki just started to cry louder before launching herself into Harry's arms and sobbed into his chest as he pressed kisses onto the top of her head and her forehead.

"It's alright" he whispered repeatedly "It's alright, everything will be fine, I promise you"

Leo walked back in five minutes later, none of them commenting on the fact that it took him half an hour to make three mugs of coffee. He handed Harry and Nikki their mugs and noted that both of them were shaking, Nikki more than Harry, and that both had tear stains on their cheeks.

"Nikki I have to ask, who was Dr John Goldman?" Leo asked and Nikki's reaction was instantaneous. Her hands shook even more and Harry had to take the mug from her to stop her spilling the scalding liquid. Her breathing became erratic and she looked behind her and out of Leo's office as if expecting someone to be standing there spying on them.

"He was..he..he was a murderer" Nikki whispered "he used to treat us after the Greggorys had been at us, he was as bad as them"

"What do you mean he was a murderer?" Leo asked suspiciously and Nikki tensed up and shook her head. They knew that was all they were getting out of her at that moment and both men didn't want to push her. Leo just nodded and stood up, he squeezed Nikki's shoulder gently and gave her a small smile which she returned then turned to Harry.

"Take her home please Harry" he said before turning and walking out of the room without another word.

"He's taken it badly as well" Harry told her "You're like a daughter to him"

"It's nice to be someone's daughter" Nikki whispered almost to herself and Harry felt his heart break even more at her dejected tone.

"I love you" Harry whispered as he leant down and pressed a tentative kiss onto her lips not sure how she would react. Instead of pulling away like he thought she would she placed one hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer to her. Harry went to deepen the kiss but stopped and drew back quickly. Nikki frowned and shook her head in confusion.

"What's wrong Harry?" she asked quietly "Don't you...am I not.." he swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat "You don't want me because..."

"No Nikki stop it" Harry said forcibly and placed one hand on her cheek and kissed her gently again "I _do_ want you and I _do_ love you, don't think for a second that I don't just because of what you just told me. I just don't want you..." he stopped and was suddenly conscious of what Nikki would think "I just don't want you to think I am taking advantage of your current state"

"Oh Harry" Nikki giggled tearfully "You are such a gentleman. I wouldn't think that because you wouldn't do that to me"

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Harry decided to take Nikki to her own house rather than his, Leo had given them both the rest of the day off and both adults were secretly pleased by that. Harry sat on the edge of Nikki's double bed as his lover showered. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him and wondered how he could have missed all the signs Nikki had, how he couldn't have known that his best friend had grown up in a place like that. Biting his lip slightly he knew that if the men who had caused them, the other children but especially Nikki, weren't already dead he would make them pay for causing so much pain to them. He knew Nikki hadn't told them everything about what had happened but wasn't going to push her. There was a slight intake of breath from somewhere next to him and he turned to see Nikki standing in the doorway of her room dressed only in a towel, her blonde hair was wet and draped down past her shoulders. There was a look of terror on Nikki's face and Harry frowned and stood up.

"You shouldn't be here" Nikki whispered and Harry hung his head slightly.

"I'm sorry you said I could sit..."

"No I mean here, in my life" Nikki interrupted Harry who looked up at her. He slowly walked over to her but she backed away so her back hit her dressing table shaking her head "Don't look at me Harry I'm disgusting" she muttered as tears streamed down her face "Please" she sobbed and Harry's heart shattered when he heard her dejected tone and the fact she thought she was disgusting.

"Nikki you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met" he told her and leant down to kiss her on the cheek, feeling her flinch slightly "Don't you _ever _say you are disgusting because you are _not_"

"My scars" Nikki sobbed and Harry gently pulled her into his arms, oblivious to the damp towel "And _they_ just made me feel so...disgusting and dirty"

"They are gone Nikki" Harry whispered into her ear as he rubbed the top of her back gently, the part that wasn't covered by a towel, and could feel the faint lines of scars under his fingertips. He then leant down and pressed light kisses onto her exposed neck and shoulder before undoing the towel from around her body and letting it drop to the floor. Nikki tried to clutch at it but failed as it pooled around her feet and she blushed under Harry's intense gaze as he looked her up and down.

"Absolutely beautiful" he muttered and Nikki let out a quiet sob as he leant down and kissed her.

"Take me to bed Harry" Nikki whispered into Harry's ear as he kissed her neck lazily and Harry was happy to comply as he took her hand in his and led her to the bed.

Later on they lay in bed wrapped around each other, Nikki with one arm draped over Harry's stomach her head on his chest, Harry with one arm around Nikki's waist while he absentmindedly played with her still damp hair with the other hand. He glanced down at her back when she wasn't looking at him and his heart pounded in his chest when he saw, the now obvious to him, scars on her back. He moved his hand from her hair and gently ran his fingers over some of the scars, this caused Nikki to move away from his hand quickly but Harry soothed her and she relaxed quickly.

"You know you can tell me anything" Harry stated as he continued to run his hand over her back and Nikki sighed and nodded. She traced random patterns on his chest and stomach as she did so then turned her head to look at him.

"I can't continue yet Harry. Please"

"Okay" Harry nodded "I'm not going to push you, promise"

"Thank you Harry" Nikki sighed "What would I do without you?"

"Have a normal boring life with no-one to tease?" Harry suggested and Nikki giggled and shrugged before kissing him on the lips.

"Probably"

"I love you" Harry whispered into her lips and pulled her closer as she lay down close to him again and sighed sleepily.

"I love you" she muttered before she fell asleep in his arms. Harry's face split into a grin as he heard Nikki utter those three words he had always wanted to hear her say, he pressed a kiss onto her forehead then pulled the duvet further up their bodies and closed his eyes as well.

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**Some Harry/Nikki fluff for you all. :D**

**xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning: Mentions of rape, illegal abortions not to much of it though.**

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The next morning when Nikki woke she was conscious of the light already seeping through the curtains. She groaned slightly and pulled the duvet tighter around her reaching out for Harry at the same time. Her eyes flew open when her hand hit cold duvet and she sat up pushing her messy blonde hair away from her eyes as she looked around the room. Harry was no-where to be seen. Swallowing slightly she climbed out of bed and reached for her dressing gown, not bothering putting any clothes on, and tied it around her as she walked out of her bedroom. She caught the smell of coffee as she walked down the stairs and sighed in relief as she entered the kitchen and saw Harry standing in just his trousers waiting for the coffee machine to finish running through. He looked up when she walked in and gave her a smile which she returned shakily.

"Good morning" he grinned and Nikki all but launched herself at him and buried her face in his neck "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"I thought you had left me" Nikki whispered into his neck "When I woke up and you weren't there"

"I'm sorry" Harry told her quietly "I didn't realise"

"It's alright, it's just me being stupid" Nikki replied and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek "It's not your fault"

Harry then leant down and pressed a kiss onto Nikki's neck and then started to work his way down her neck causing her to moan loudly and run her hands up his bare chest and grip his shoulders tightly. Harry pushed Nikki's dressing gown away from her shoulder and pressed kisses onto the bare skin. He pushed the garment away even more then paused as he realised that Nikki wasn't wearing anything underneath it. His breathing became more erratic as he looked up at her and saw the smirk on her face. Harry made quick work of the belt that held the article of clothing closed and pushed the dressing gown off Nikki's shoulders and onto the floor.

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Leo looked up from some papers spread over his desk when he heard someone walk over to his office, he smiled when he saw it was Nikki and beckoned her over to the sofa.

"What can I do for you Nikki?"

"I want to tell you and Harry the rest of what happened" Nikki stated but Leo saw the nervousness in her eyes and the way she was wringing her hands, he glanced over her shoulder as Harry walked into the room and sat down next to Nikki, pressing a kiss onto her temple as he did so. Once again Leo stood up and sat on the chair in front of his desk rather than behind it.

"Can you tell us more about John Goldman?" Leo asked softly and Nikki just nodded and looked down at her lap as she bit her lip "Take your time, it's fine"

"He was already the Greggory's private doctor when I got there, he had been their friend when they were in school so of course they stuck together" Nikki started "He hated children, and teenagers actually, and he didn't seem to care what he did to us as long as he got results. Neither did the Greggory's. There was this one boy, when I was fifteen, he was six when he came in and had trouble adjusting. He was disruptive and used to play up a lot and the just...beat him constantly to try and make him behave"

"and this was Boris Greggory as well?" Leo asked slowly and Nikki nodded blinking away tears.

"He wasn't as bad as the other two" she whispered "He just used to stand and watch most of the time"

"You said yesterday that Goldman was a murderer" Harry told Nikki who nodded absentmindedly and stared blankly at the carpet "Did that have anything to do with the illegal abortions he wrote in his journal?"

Nikki didn't reply to this straight away but bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut before nodding slightly and taking a deep breath.

"He performed one on one of the girls in the home, she was only fourteen at the time" Nikki recalled and shook her head "It was horrible" she sobbed and cried into her hands as Leo and Harry exchanged worried looks before Harry turned to Nikki and started to comfort her "They called us sluts for getting pregnant" they heard Nikki say and then her head shot up as she realised her mistake "I..."

"You were...one of them?" Harry asked quietly and Nikki let out a strangled sob and nodded "Who was..."

"The father?" Nikki asked weakly and Harry nodded "Who do you think?"

"They raped you?" Leo asked quietly and even his eyes filled with tears as Nikki nodded and turned away from them in shame.

"Not all of us" Nikki added "Just the chosen few girls, because that's all we were really wasn't it? Girls" she asked bitterly "When I found out I was pregnant" she swallowed a lump in her throat after she said this and continued to talk "I wanted to keep it, it wasn't the baby's fault how it had been conceived but they forced me to have...." she closed her eyes again and turned her head away from Harry who leant down and pressed a kiss onto the top of her head "It was all my fault, if I had been strong enough to fight them off maybe..."

"Nikki don't you dare blame yourself" Harry told her "You were...?"

"Fourteen" Nikki whispered and both men let out sighs when they heard this

"You were fourteen and under their care. They abused you and that power they had over you and it does not make it your fault"

"I couldn't even protect my baby" Nikki sobbed loudly and Harry pulled her into him and allowed her to cry into his chest, her hands gripping his shirt as though her life depended on it. Leo stood up and walked quickly out of his office not wanting his friends to see how cut up he was about what had happened to Nikki, he had to be strong for the both of them.

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**Aww poor Nikki! Even I didn't know that was going to happen until I wrote it.**

**xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

After Nikki had calmed down her and Harry had stayed on the sofa, Harry with his arms wrapped tightly around Nikki holding her close to him and Nikki with her head on Harry's chest, ever so often letting out quiet sobs.

"You don't hate me do you Harry?" she whispered after a while and Harry looked down at her from where he was staring out of Leo's window.

"Of course I don't" he replied quietly and continued to run his hand through her hair "I told you I would never hate you"

"That was before I told you I'd killed my baby" Nikki told him emotionlessly

"You didn't" Harry told her forcible but still she didn't look up at him "You didn't want to but those...bastards made you" Nikki only nodded in confirmation at this "You'll be an amazing mum one day Nikki"

"No I won't" Nikki replied quickly "I never had a proper one did I? She was always working. I wouldn't know where to start"

"Yes you will" Harry whispered as he pressed a kiss onto her forehead "and you don't need any experience. It'll come naturally to you Nikki I just know it"

"I'll need to find a man willing to have children with me first" Nikki said quietly, oblivious to the look Harry gave her.

"I'm right here Nikki" he mumbled and this time Nikki moved her head to look at him "I would love to be the father of your children"

Nikki suddenly felt very uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was heading and Harry seemed to sense this and blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away" he admitted "We haven't even been on a proper date yet"

"You mean we _are_ a couple?" Nikki asked hopefully and Harry grinned and nodded.

"If you want"

"Of course I do" Nikki laughed tearfully "You're the only male in my life who has ever treated me with any respect" she paused "Apart from Leo of course"

"Well it's those men who lost out then" Harry stated "Come on I'll take you home"

"No I want to stay here and work" Nikki protested as they both stood up and Harry pressed a kiss onto her lips "It will keep my mind off things"

"If you're sure" Harry said slowly and Nikki nodded and took his hand in hers as they walked out of Leo's office.

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Nikki sat at her desk feeling better than she had felt in a long time. She had finally got most of what had happened off her chest but the other things were minor details that she would gradually fill Harry and Leo in on. Apart from one thing, the fact they were still hunting Raymond Greggory's and Dr John Goldman's killer, and she knew who it was. She didn't know what to do, save Harry and Leo the time and effort and tell them who killed them and in doing so betraying James or just leave the two dead men to rot without justice. The little girl in Nikki who had suffered for years at their hands told her to leave them, they deserved what had happened to them for what they did to her and the other children. However Nikki's morals also played a part, her job required her to find the killer or killers whoever the person was, whatever they had done.

"Aren't you meeting James today?" Harry asked as he walked through from the cutting room and seeing Nikki at her desk staring into space. None of them had mentioned what Nikki had told them and she was glad that they didn't treat her any differently, there wasn't even any pity in their eyes or on their faces when they looked at her which she was thankful for. They knew she didn't want it so they didn't give it to her.

"No, he's gone" Nikki replied slowly "He said something about America" she lied carefully "Probably going out there to escape from everything"

"Did he know his father was dead?" Harry asked and Nikki nodded slightly.

"He read it in the papers but as I said he didn't acknowledge that he had any still living family members so he didn't care"

"The police are charging Boris Greggory with neglect and a whole host of different offences from back then" Harry told Nikki suddenly, she frowned

"But someone will have to testify against him" she said almost hysterically but Harry placed a hand on her shoulder and calmed her down.

"It's alright" he whispered "You don't have to do anything, it was all to do with a statement from Maria Sinclair, she wants to put him behind bars and will testify against him to do that"

Nikki only nodded, she remembered Maria, she was also one of the more unfortunate girls in the home who had the same treatment as Nikki.

"We're closing the cases as well" Harry added noncommittally and Nikki knew that was what he had actually come in to tell her "There's no evidence to point to anyone and we're not just saying that because of what they did to you, there really is no evidence"

'This is the chance to say something' Nikki thought as she nodded absentmindedly at Harry and gave him a smile as she stood up and pecked him on the lips.

"That's good" she whispered "Can I forget all about it now?" she asked as an afterthought and Harry smiled kindly at her and nodded.

"Of course you can beautiful" he replied and leant down to kiss her "It's all over I promise you"

"Thank you" Nikki mumbled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he did the same to her waist, they stood like that for a while, each of them getting comfort from the other but deep down they both knew everything would be alright in the end.

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**Well that's the end folks. :D Hope you enjoyed this fic. If any of you have any ideas for other fics I will be happy to hear them...really...ideas would be good right !**

**xxx**


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